Practical Christianity 3
Prayer: Father, these are your saints, your sheep, for whom Christ died. Some of them are troubled with many burdens, and I ask you to use this message to relieve those burdens. Others are not troubled as they ought to be, even though they are causing a lot of trouble in those around them. And Father, I ask you to trouble them now. May this message be used by Your Spirit to wake them up from their Theoden slumbers so they might live. Amen.
Introduction
In a room with this many people, a preacher always runs the risk of worrying the faithful and flattering the faithless. There are some who have very fragile faith who need to be encouraged, and there are some full of arrogant presumption that really need to be rattled.
What do I mean? There are some fragile folks who love God and their neighbors, and they can get themselves into a knot because one time in second grade they *might* have said something a little disrespectful to Mrs. Jones and they’re just not sure they’re really saved.
On the other hand, there are others who are real pills to their families, regularly causing harm and heartbreak, who constantly explain it away as “not perfect just forgiven.” And it would never even occur to them that they might not be saved.
And with a message like this, chances are good that the presumptuous will latch on to the encouragement, and the easily worried will get rattled. So pray that the Spirit would direct the Word to the right targets. When we talk about assurance of salvation, the goal is to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable.
The Text: “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil; whosever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother…” (1 Jn. 3:10-24
Summary of the Text
Fundamentally, everyone in the world is either a child of God or a child of the devil (1 Jn. 3:10). While it is certainly true that God saves sinners, such that a snap shot of Cain and Abel might have caught Cain in what appeared to be a good moment and Abel in a bad moment, nevertheless the game film generally reveals God’s grace working righteousness in believers and sin working evil in unbelievers – this is manifest (1 Jn. 3:10-12). Some of this is proven by the hatred of the world for believers (1 Jn. 3:13). But we know that we have passed from death to life because we love other Christians (1 Jn. 3:14). But bitterness and spite for those around you is a sure sign that you are still in your sins (1 Jn. 3:15).
This distinction between the children of God and the children of the devil flows directly from the love of God, who laid His life down for us, compelling us to love those around us in word and deed (1 Jn. 3:16-17). This truth is part of how God assures our hearts, even if our hearts sometimes condemn us (1 Jn. 3:18-21). God also gives us assurance by answering our prayers, which He does in part because He is pleased with the obedience which He has given to us (1 Jn. 3:22). But the fundamental obedience is faith in His Son and love that obeys, which proves that we have been given the Holy Spirit (1 Jn. 3:23-24).
Presumption vs. Faith
Jesus said that there would be some who prophesied in His name, cast out devils and performed wonderful works, to whom He will say, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Mt. 7:22-23). There will be some who went to church, participated in choir and PDGs, homeschooled, and gave tithes, to whom Jesus will say, “I never knew you.” Scripture says that it is possible to be baptized and take communion and still become idolaters and be destroyed (1 Cor. 10:1-11). It says, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). Do not be presumptuous. Likewise, in Romans, it warns Gentile branches in the covenantal olive tree against boasting and presumption: “Be not highminded, but fear: for if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee” (Rom. 11:20-21). Unbelieving Jews were cut out of the covenant, and so unbelieving Gentiles may be cut out of the covenant.
Presumption assumes everything is fine because nothing too bad has happened (yet) but it is always far worse than they think. Faith trembles before God knowing that it deserves destruction. Presumption is arrogant; faith is humble.
Assurances of Salvation
When Christ saves a sinner, He begins a work that He has already planned, paid for, and guaranteed: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).
This work begins as a seed that is planted, and the first fruit of that good soil is confessing that Jesus is Lord and calling upon Him: “no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost” (1 Cor. 12:3). “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Rom. 10:9). “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God” (1 Jn. 4:15). Have you called on the name of the Lord? Have you believed in the Lord Jesus Christ? Then you are saved. This is part of what makes worship so central. Do you love to gather with all the saints and proclaim Jesus is Lord? Is missing church a bummer or do you hardly notice?
Baptism is also given as a sign of salvation: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?” (Rom. 6:3) Baptism is not so much something that we do as it is something that God does and says: “The like figure [Noah’s Ark] whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 3:21). “How does holy baptism remind and assure you that Christ’s one sacrifice on the cross benefits you personally?” The answer is: “In this way: Christ instituted this outward washing and with it promised that, as surely as water washes away the dirt from the body, so certainly his blood and his Spirit wash away my soul’s impurity, that is, all my sins.” (Heidelberg 69). Do you believe? Communion is meant to be a similar assurance of faith.
Scripture also teaches that when God begins the work of salvation there is a real change of character: “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…” (Gal. 5:19-23). Which one are you? Which list characterizes your life? Good trees bring forth good fruit.
The presence of the Holy Spirit confirms that we are Christians: “Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit” (1 Jn. 4:13). The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin (Jn. 16:8), gives us the power to repent and obey God’s commandments (1 Jn. 3:24), and leads us to pray and receive what we ask for (Rom. 8:15-16, 1 Jn. 3:22). The Holy Spirit is also the Comforter: so when He convicts us of sin, He shows us sin clearly so we can get rid of quickly. He doesn’t just make us feel vaguely bad.
Finally, those who have passed from death to life love other Christians (1 Jn. 3:14). “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” (1 Jn. 4:20) And this includes your children and spouse (Mt. 18:5, 1 Pet. 3:7). Do you love God’s people? Is there a growing desire to be around other Christians (1 Cor. 12:13)? Or are they often annoying and bothersome: believers are the aroma of life to those being saved and the aroma of death to those who are perishing (2 Cor. 2:16)?
Conclusion
The Christian life is marked by peace and comfort in the Holy Spirit and growing in grace and obedience over time (Rom. 14:17). This is a humble peace, not an arrogant presumption. This is not always a smooth ride, but it is sure and steady progress. What is the pattern in your life?
The Bible teaches that the trajectories are generally manifest. The difference between light and darkness, life and death are not really small. They are open and obvious. Do you love Jesus? Do you love to worship? Do you love the Bible? Do you love forgiveness? Are you baptized? Then you are a Christian. You are saved.
But if you’re looking around wondering what’s for lunch. If you’re bored and slightly annoyed, if you can’t wait to get out of here, if you’re just here because your friends or family are here, there’s a good chance you are not really a Christian and you are not saved. If you’re here in this room in that condition, the invitation is very simple, stop lying, stop pretending, stop blaming others, stop trying to prove yourself. Salvation is all about recognizing that you cannot save yourself, that you are lost, and everything is hopeless in your sin. But Christ was crucified for sinners, not for good people, not for people who have their act together. He came for the sick. He came for the dead. He came for the blind. Do you want to see? If you call on the Lord Jesus, you will be saved.
Prayer: Father, we have been blessed with tremendous fruit in our community, but we know that it is all your doing, your blessing, your salvation, your Spirit. So do not let us forget this, and so assure us of Your great salvation. And wherever any presumption or hypocrisy has crept in, search it out and expose it. Comfort our hearts with real grace, and trouble the hearts that are hard and full of pride until they fall down in worship. We ask this in Jesus’ name, who taught us to pray…
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